The people of Umuzike autonomous community in Orlu local government area of Imo state have raised alarm over rising tension in the community over alleged whisking away of the community youth by the Nigeria Army on false accusations of being collaborators, sympathizers or members of the disbanded Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security group, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Surprisingly, the community youths are pointing accusing fingers on the traditional ruler, Eze Slacus Mkpado of Umuzike of conspiring with the Nigerian army to go after some of the community youth who have standoff with him other the choice of the President General of the Umuzike. On the other hand, some of the community youth who believed he was not properly elected as Umuzike Traditional Ruler, said he has been highhanded, using the Nigerian military and other security agencies to wrongly accuse the youth, arrest and torture innocent people under the guise of hunting down members of the IPOB/ESN.
The latest uproar in the community is stirred following the arrest by the Nigerian Army of one Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodim who was said to be at loggerhead with traditional ruler for some period.
Report says a faction of the community to which Nnodim belonged had before now been in court praying that the certificate of recognition issued to Eze Mkpado of Umuzike be retrieved. The move by the opposition, it was gathered, prompted a furious reaction from the traditional ruler who breathing fire and brimstone, allegedly went after his enemies dead or alive.
The Nnodim family has now raised the alarm over the whereabouts of their son, Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodim, who was alleged whisked away by the Nigerian Army on June 1, 2023 on trumped-up allegations that he belonged to the disbanded Eastern Security Network ESN, an arm of the separatist group IPOB.
Last year, some houses belonging to perceived enemies, 76 year old Paul Mbamala, Uche Onadike and Ifeanyi Nnodim, were allegedly burnt down and looted, forcing the later to flee for safety and on June 1st, he was arrested, handcuffed and tossed to the ground before he was bundled into a military vehicle.
The family is accusing the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Mkpado of Umuzike, of conspiracy and implicating their son after he had allegedly threatened to kill him through his connections.
The family said Eze Mkpado had a vendetta against their son, had him arrested for no reason and caused him to be locked up and maliciously tortured before he was taken by the military.
Mr. Lambert Nnodim, elder brother of the arrested Ifeanyi, dismissed Eze Mkpado’s allegation against his brother as false, insisting that he had nothing to do with either IPOB or ESN. He recalled that his brother was a genuine traditionalist and the allegations against him were false and borne out of envy and jealousy.
While insisting on thorough investigation of the matter, the family called for unconditional release of their son or the transfer of the case to the police to unravel the circumstances behind the dastardly act by the traditional ruler. Equally, they are asking the Nigerian Army to release their son if he is still alive or show them his corpse if he has been killed.
According to him, the family is expressing grief over the silence of the Nigerian Army to tell them the whereabouts of their son.
“We are shocked that after three weeks, the Army has kept silent, despite our many entreaties for information, over our brother,” another family member said, adding, “as it stands, we are moaning the continued holding of our son by the Nigeria Army since June 1, 2023.”
Efforts to reach Eze Mkpado were fruitless at press time. Report say Eze Mkpado of Umuzike, has abandoned his community to seek safety in Lagos. A member of the community who spoke to the press revealed that the monarch was accused by the IPOB/ ESN of being a SABO, shortened form of saboteur.
According to Lambers Nnodim,
“The DSS at Owerri is aware of this case they had issues with community traditional ruler over the choice of President General of Umuzike and in the process my brother had scuffles with Eze Mkpado of Umuzike. The problem now escalated from thence. Unfortunately, sometime in March last year, along Okigwe Expressway, two members of our community were kidnaped and killed by the unknown gunmen. Around April of same year, the unknown gunmen struck again kidnapped and killed yet two of our community men. We were able to recover their dead bodies and brought them back. To our surprise, the traditional ruler started propelling rumours that my brother was behind the kidnap and killing.
“To dispel the criminal allegation hatched by the traditional ruler to silence my brother who was part of those opposing his Ezeship, my brother and others involved a lawyer and dragged the Eze to the Federal High Court for defamation, criminal threat to lives and sundry offences. The matter has been on since last year and my brother has been around since then too because people are seeing him. I was surprised when on June 1, 2023 he personally called me and I asked somebody to forward his picture to me where he is with the Army. And it was said that he was taken to Owerri, Obinze Barracks alleging that he was ESN native doctor who prepares diabolic charms for them.
“But, no! my brother is not an ESN member. He is a herbal native doctor not diabolic native doctor as claimed by the army.
“Three buildings belonging to my brother were burnt down including his lock-up shops. Check where four persons died and only one family is fighting for the case due to the fact that the traditional ruler is in enmity with my brother.
“It was the Ebubeagu that was used to burn down his houses, not the youths. It was even the youths that stood for him.
“Do you know how many persons are on this case? Even me that is speaking to you now, the Anti-Kidnap group came to arrest me last week from Port Harcourt, nobody knew my whereabouts and I spent five good days there. One of my brothers who is based in Owerri was also arrested that same day. This is not a joking matter.
Is he involved in ESN?
“No, he has no business with ESN. In his inner most conscience, Eze Mkpado knew that my brother is innocence of the ESN allegation.”